Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Titles and Status/The Earl of Derby

The Earls of Derby were the most powerful figures in Lancashire and the Isle of Man. Their family, also known as the Stanleys, was “the focus of the personal and political ambitions of [the] whole county, and its influence [extended] even further afield.” The title was held by several people during the seventeenth century. The first was Lord Strange, the 5th earl of Derby. He was ambitious and resourceful; in the early 1620s he enclosed 150 acres of his land. He also put a great deal of effort into getting as much profit as possible out of one of his other holdings, the Isle of Man. He was succeeded by his younger brother, William Stanley, the 6th earl of Derby (1561-1642). He was an enthusiastic patron of the theatre, having his own theatre troupe called Derby’s Men. Some historians have even suggested that the 6th earl was the true author of William Shakespeare’s poetry and plays. His son succeeded him to the title but was executed in 1651 “for ‘treaon and rebellion… in a town of his own,’ Bolton.” In 1660, his son was restored to his holdings as the earl. Although the family had been in difficult financial circumstances, in 1660 they were authorized by the House of Lords to take back all of the Stanley property that had been seized during the civil war. The 8th earl was very active in the House of Lords during the reign of Charles II.

Since the Stanley family was so important, many ambitious and enterprising men came to work in their household in order to advance themselves politically and socially. Gentry families from Lancashire and Cheshire sent their sons to be raised by the various earls. The youths often worked as servants while learning how to behave like gentlemen. The 7th earl wrote in the 1640s that his great-grandfather had "bredd up many Youths of Noblemen, Knights and Esquires Sonns (such reputation had he of good government in his House! And the same obliged many Families unto it)." Some positions available in the earl’s household included treasurer of the household, steward, receiver of the estates, and governor of the Isle of Man. One man, Sir Richard Shireburn, was the son of a gentleman who worked for the local government and then joined the household of the earl of Derby. He became a successful bureaucrat and courtier under Henry VIII and was even a member of Parliament. The Stanleys gave their servants “grants of land, money, lucrative advowsons and offices.” By 1595, the 5th earl was paying a total of 212 pounds a year in annuities to his servants and left 49 pounds in legacies. Men of lower birth also came to work in the Stanley household. One man named Michael Doughty joined the household as clerk of the kitchen and eventually became an important servant. He was also elected to Parliament. Another man, Alexander Rigby, was also from a low family, but eventually became a landed gentleman, “deputy lieutenant, justice of the peace and deputy escheator of the county.” He owed all his success to the patronage of the generous and powerful earl of Derby, which he received in return for many years of faithful service.